


Rare Mornings

by LeChatRouge673



Series: Thea's Song [7]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-09
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-19 22:19:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14882271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeChatRouge673/pseuds/LeChatRouge673
Summary: Prompted fic for @rhetoricalrogue: How about a Cat/Nathaniel slice of life story where they have the day off? How would they spend the day together?





	Rare Mornings

Mornings like this were rare.

Nathaniel would never claim that perfect mornings were a rarity: every morning he woke up with Cataline in his arms was its own brand of perfection, but sometimes all the inner mechanisms of the universe aligned to create something that transcended even that simple joy. Today, neither he nor his wife had anywhere they had to be or anything they had to do until that evening, and the spring weather in Denerim was in unusually fine form. Soft, playful sunlight whispered through the blinds and danced over the exposed curves of Cat’s skin, lending her an ethereal glow that compelled Nathaniel to brush a tender kiss against her cheek.

She smiled, but did not open her eyes. “Good morning, love.”

“Good morning, Wildflower,” he murmured against her ear, breathing in the warm scent of vanilla she favored for her soaps and perfumes.

Cat stretched lazily, graceful limbs extending as her eyelids finally fluttered open. “I cannot remember the last time we were able to sleep in like this.”

“Probably last Satinalia, when we went up to the mountains for a week.” Nathaniel glanced at the clock. “You want me to make you breakfast?”

“You know I never say ‘no’ to your cooking,” she smiled. “Want help?”

He returned her smile with one of his own before reluctantly slipping out of bed and retrieving clothes from various drawers before tying his hair back out of his face. “Sure. Waffles?”

“Waffles,” she nodded in agreement, then stood and began selecting her own outfit for the day. “Do we have any bacon left, or did Sera eat it all the other night when we had the party?”

“I don’t think she ever found the emergency bacon,” Nathaniel replied as he descended the stairs and walked into the kitchen. He opened the fridge and pulled out one of the drawers, then dug out a non-descript parcel wrapped in butcher paper. “Found it. It helps that I’ve asked the butcher to stop labelling things when I pick them up. I don’t think Sera is willing to roll the dice and end up unwrapping a pound of raw hamburger or chicken.”

Cat giggled, the sound echoing like a chime in the airy kitchen. She began pulling out pans and bowls, trading him one for the bacon that she began laying out in preparation for the skillet. Neither of them felt the need to fill the quiet with chatter; instead, they simply enjoyed working in close proximity to each other, Cat humming quietly under her breath and Nathaniel occasionally bending down to press a kiss to his wife’s ginger hair.

“So,” Cat asked as she set his coffee and her tea down and took her place beside him at the table, “We have a rare, completely unscheduled day ahead of us. What would you like to do?”

“I was going to ask you the exact same question,” Nathaniel laughed. “The weather is supposed to be perfect, so it seems like we should spend at least part of the day outside.”

“I agree,” Cat nodded. “Want to walk the beach after breakfast?”

“Absolutely. I think the farmer’s market is running again also, so we could swing by there, see if anything looks good,” he suggested.

Cat’s face lit up. “Oh, that’s right! I think it is that time of year again. I hope that stall with the regional wildflower honey is back. Their stuff is amazing, especially in my mint tea. Why don’t you text Thea or Loghain and see if they want us to pick anything up for dinner tonight. Your phone is closer and I am not terribly inclined to abandon my waffle.”

“I’m not sure she’ll have had enough coffee yet to be fully coherent,” Nathaniel deadpanned, and Cat laughed. “I think I’ll take my chances with her husband. They should be up by now, right?”

“Probably,” Cat confirmed as he reached for his phone. “You know they both tend to wake up early.”

_N: I think Cat and I are going to go browse the farmer’s market this morning. Do you or Thea want us to pick you up anything?_

_L: Depends. She’s going back and forth between pasta and that chicken in spiced peanut sauce Bull introduced her to._

_N: So we get to be her culinary guinea pigs again? I suppose so long as she’s not feeling us_ actual _guinea pigs…_

_L: I’m not going to tell her you said that.  Maybe pick up some tomatoes. Those will get used one way or another._

_N: Will do. See you tonight._

“Thea would never serve you guinea pig,” Cat protested with mock sternness, reading over his shoulder.

“That _you_ know of,” Nathaniel teased her, pulling her closer as she laughed against his shoulder.

“You are the worst. I was _going_ to suggest we look for some sort of fruit so we could bake a pie this afternoon, but if you are going to be like that…” She stood up and began taking the dishes to the sink, but he could see she was smiling. Once breakfast had been cleaned up and the dishwasher set, they stepped outside into the warm spring sunshine and ambled down towards the beach.

The water was still a little too cool for wading, and so Cat and Nathaniel stuck to the sand, their feet sinking pleasantly into the sun-warmed grains. Seabirds circled and called overhead, and the faintest breeze wove through the beach grass the carpeted the dunes. They walked, speaking of nothing in particular, fingers laced together and voices meant only for each other. And when Cat stopped to stare out over the horizon, Nathaniel stood behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist, her head leaning back against the steady beat of his heart.

“Sometimes,” she mused quietly, “I think we need these quiet moments. The ones where we are simply able to _be_.”

“Yes,” he breathed a contented sigh. “This was good. This _is_ good.”

He could hear rather than see the smile in her tone. “I love you, Nate.”

“I love you, Cat.”


End file.
